


i lived, bitch

by ez_cookie



Series: New Game + sans Akira [1]
Category: Persona 5, Persona Series
Genre: Akechi Goro Leads the Phantom Thieves of Hearts, M/M, New Game +, but only because they know he doesnt want to, goro is not sure why hes alive and regrets being alive for 4k words, pre-redemption goro, the thieves are here for the long con
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-02-19
Updated: 2021-02-19
Packaged: 2021-03-14 18:49:49
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 5,205
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29546805
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ez_cookie/pseuds/ez_cookie
Summary: Goro shouldn't be alive, but he is. The Phantom Thieves shouldn't remember the past timeline, but they do. But if that's the case... why isn't Akira with them?NEW GAME + SANS AKIRA AU
Relationships: Akechi Goro/Amamiya Ren, Akechi Goro/Kurusu Akira, Akechi Goro/Persona 5 Protagonist, implied/background
Series: New Game + sans Akira [1]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/2147535
Comments: 21
Kudos: 192





	i lived, bitch

**Author's Note:**

> for info on this au, please check out the collection "New Game + sans Akira" series description!

After Goro Akechi died, he woke up in his apartment to his five o’clock alarm. He was certain that he’d died, there was no question about that -- he remembered the shot vividly. What came after… not so much. But he knew that there was something in between his last breath and the shallow panicked ones he was heaving out at five in the morning.

He reached for his phone to silence his alarm out of pure habit and found he had a text from an unsaved number:  _ Shido’s number _ .

So, he was definitely in hell. That was fine. Expected, even. 

Goro rolled over in bed, burying his face into his pillow. Could he just stay there? He couldn’t help but note that his tortuous afterlife somehow felt exactly the same as being alive. That was expected too, given the pathetic, miserable little life he’d lived. It hadn’t really been hard at all to choose death so the Phantom Thieves… so  _ Akira  _ could live on. Looking back, it seemed that dying was the most righteous thing he ever did. 

He groaned into the crisp fabric of his pillowcase. All his work, in the end, accomplished nothing. He’d turned himself into a ruthless killer before he could even drink legally just to take down his asshole father, but Shido had known the whole time and had killed Goro first, albeit through a very convoluted metaverse-bullshit way. Goro refused to let himself stew in a pool of regret over his decision -- regret accomplished nothing and was an insult to the people he’d hurt. He just wished he could have been there to see Shido’s sniveling face as he confessed to his crimes on national television. He deserved at least that much, didn’t he? Apparently not, according to karma. 

Goro’s phone had been buzzing insistently with his backup alarm, which he’d been trying to ignore. It was getting quite grating though, and if there was any chance turning it off would give him temporary relief, he was going to go for it. Lifting his face from his pillow and retrieving his phone from his nightstand, Goro switched off the alarm and let the phone drop carelessly.

Then he paused. What was that date he’d just seen?

He pushed himself up and out of bed, reaching down for his phone and switching it on again. The date displayed was April 9th. Goro had died in late November. The first thought that crossed his mind was that he’d somehow slept for about four months, but the year displayed was 2016, indicating that it hadn’t been four months since he’d died -- it was a little over half a year before he died. 

_ Am I really dead? _

Of course he was. The last thing he’d seen was the deranged, inhuman grin of his doppelganger, and the last thing he’d heard had been fists pounding desperately against the bulkhead door. In his already weakened state, the bullet to Goro’s heart had killed him almost instantaneously. 

Goro was suddenly struck by a growing wave of panic as his groggy brain became more and more aware of his situation. Without bothering to get up and switch on the light, Goro frantically removed his pajama shirt -- an old, well-loved Featherman t-shirt -- and felt around his chest frantically for the bullet wound. He was sure he remembered where he’d been hit, but his fingers only came in contact with smooth, undamaged skin. That couldn’t be right. Maybe he’d been hit further to the left? Goro prodded around blindly, his panic rising with each second he failed to find the evidence of his death that  _ had to be there, it had to be.  _

He could feel his heart beating incessantly in his chest. Goro’s hand froze as he felt a cold blanket of dread creeping over his shoulders. It wasn’t possible. He couldn’t be alive. It couldn’t be April. That was…

Well, it wasn’t impossible. Nothing he’d accomplished using the Metaverse should have been possible, and it would be foolish to disregard what seemed far-fetched when pursuing the truth of his circumstances. Granted, Goro Akechi was a fraud in almost every sense of the word, but he was still a detective, damnit. He’d been on cases that weren’t the result of psychotic breakdowns he’d caused, and he was plenty fucking good at his job. With new resolve, Goro climbed out of bed to investigate.

Clicking on the light, Goro stepped out of his bedroom to survey his apartment. It looked as it should -- immaculately clean, well-designed, and empty. The furniture had come with the apartment, and the kitchen was bared except for a few instant meals tucked away in the cabinets. The walls were bare as they always were, and Goro noticed that the wall by the front door was missing the hole he’d punched into it on November the 20th. 

Goro’s mind flickered to LeBlanc’s attic and Akira’s collection of knick-knacks he’d received from all his stupid  _ friends _ . He felt like breaking something. He settled on gritting his teeth until they hurt and kept investigating. 

The message he’d received from Shido was requesting -- demanding -- a subway accident be caused to pressure the Ministry of Transportation. That lined up with his memory of April. One psychotic break had resulted in dozens of passenger casualties. Goro could remember the way Shido had praised him for his ruthlessness, gifting him a hefty bonus for his work. Despite his hatred for the man, Goro had eaten the praise right up and continued on as Shido’s pretty little hitman. The thought of doing  _ anything  _ requested of him by that detestable man-made Goro’s nerves burn with Loki’s poisonous rage. But if he was really alive, and he’d really somehow gone back in time, then that meant he couldn’t afford to get sloppy or let his guard down. Defying Shido’s orders meant dooming himself to an early grave. An earlier grave, rather.

He couldn’t truly be certain that he was truly alive, and that time had truly rewound, but he figured he’d simply have to operate under those assumptions until he could get a better grasp of his situation. That meant getting dressed and heading for the precinct. 

_ Great. Perfect. Just swallow it all and act like nothing’s wrong like you always do. _

His morning routine functioned like a well-oiled machine. It was complex and precise, and left absolutely no room for wasting time –– and Goro had already fallen about ten minutes behind. He’d have to pick up the pace and go to work like it was any other normal day until he could formulate a plan. 

...

The world was eerily normal, but Goro knew better than to start doubting his own memory. He’d been going it alone for this long –– if he couldn’t trust his own mind, he was essentially doomed. Yet, there was no sign that anyone he encountered saw anything off about the world at all. 

Sae Nijima had stopped by his desk that morning and had commented that he looked tired, but nothing more than that. It was likely she’d been informed by the Phantom Thieves in the last timeline that he was the culprit behind the psychotic breakdown incidents, and her willingness to even look at him indicated that she had no memory of that information. She had looked tired too. Goro didn’t choose to comment on it, since he never had before. An overworked Sae had always been more easily manipulated, and her well-being was of no great concern to Goro. 

The paperwork on his desk was old, all dated appropriately for early April. He recognized some key names from past cases and noticed that the men’s bathroom had yet to be repainted. By all accounts, it was early April, and nothing that Goro remembered happening after that date seemed to have occurred at all. Did that mean the time loop was centered on him? Had something… perhaps whatever being that had granted him his powers in the first place… brought him back for some purpose? So he could  _ win? _

Now  _ that  _ was a thought. If Goro was fated to die, and by all accounts should have already been dead, there was nothing really stopping him from storming into Shido’s office and shooting the bastard at point-blank range with his gun. The very idea made his nerves tingle with anticipation, and it was a lot of work to keep his pleasant mask from slipping off while he let the beautiful sight of crimson blood trickling down the bastard’s bald head play on repeat in his mind. If Goro were to do that, he would be taken out swiftly by one of Shido’s lackeys. There was no doubt in Goro’s mind that killing Shido in the real world was a suicide mission, yet the thought was too tempting to write off entirely. The only thing that gave Goro pause was the fact that he wouldn’t be around very long to relish his victory. Killing Shido in the metaverse would be so much more satisfying since it was untraceable, and even if he was suspected, he’d have more time to get away and go into hiding. But the fact remained that even with all his training, even with his two personas, he wasn’t sure he was strong enough to beat Shido’s shadow. Last time… the only hope he’d had of bringing Shido down was to team up with the Phantom Thieves at the end of it all, and he didn’t even get the luxury of partaking in those scraps of satisfaction before he was shot and killed. 

_ The Phantom Thieves…  _

Goro wondered if everything would play out the same if he chose not to meddle. Would they still form their silly little group to take down that P.E. teacher? He supposed it was always an option to team up with them earlier, play nice for a little longer. If he didn’t misstep, he could deceive them until Shido’s shadow was on the ground begging for mercy, and he’d be able to strike the killing blow. 

It was a nice thought. But to say that Goro was not particularly fond of the group was putting it lightly, and despite everything, he felt… kind of awful whenever he remembered Akira’s anguished expression as they fought in the engine room. It was idiotic, but Goro didn’t want to betray Akira again. But he also couldn’t just stay away entirely.

Goro was getting a headache. He wasn’t sure what to do, not yet, anyway. He’d gotten careless in the last timeline. Too sure of himself. He’d also been a fool to think that Shido was unaware of the fact that Goro planned to betray him in some capacity, and that was something he definitely had to keep in mind. It seemed his best course of action would be to lie in wait. He’d play this game again, but this time, he intended to win.

…

Goro caused a train to derail late into the night when there were only two passengers aboard. There were no serious injuries reported. Goro told himself he changed the time just to spite Shido. He’d always preferred more innocents in the crossfire, but he’d never chastise Goro overtly for not causing as much chaos as he potentially  _ could _ . 

...

On Thursday, Goro found himself absentmindedly walking by Shujin Academy in the afternoon. If events were going to occur the same way they had in the last timeline, then Suguru Kamoshida wasn’t set to confess his crimes publicly until May 2nd, but Goro couldn’t help his indelible desire to know what was going on behind the walls of the school. He needed information, but he also couldn’t very well march in and claim to be investigating a matter on behalf of the police –– not when that principal was there to report anything odd to Shido. 

So, he couldn’t really put a finger on why he felt the compulsion to linger outside the school gates, especially when it had led to a few unpleasant interactions with girls who recognized him and begged for pictures with him. He should have dressed more inconspicuously. 

“H-hey! You’re!” 

Goro recognized that voice. It was Morgana, one of the more annoying Phantom Thieves, who Akira used to carry around almost everywhere. Goro knew that he couldn’t respond, as the cat probably knew that only Persona users could hear him speak. But then again, even if he  _ wasn’t _ able to understand Morgana, he would still hear a cat meowing very loudly next to his ear. Anyone would react to that in some capacity.

Goro turned his head gently, playing up his surprised doe eyes.

“Oh! Hello there,” Goro said pleasantly. And, because he really had to sell it, Goro reached out a hand and began to pet Morgana’s head. “Aren’t you a cute kitty? Yes, you are…”

Morgana looked like he wanted to throw up. 

“Hey! Knock it off, Akechi!” 

Now  _ that  _ got Goro’s attention. Did Morgana remember him? Did he remember everything? And if that was the case, did the rest of the Phantom Thieves remember as well? He couldn’t really be sure, especially since he doubted that the others, Akira especially, would be content to keep their distance from him if they really remembered who he was. Goro needed more time to confirm this new theory, so it seemed he had no choice at the present but to keep acting dumb. At least he could take comfort in the fact that Morgana was suffering more than he was in the interaction. 

“Do you want some ear scratches?” Goro cooed at Morgana.

“No!”

“Aw, you’re so soft!”

“I’m leaving!” Morgana announced. Then he slipped out from under Goro’s hand and scampered away. Goro picked his attache case off the ground and frowned. If there was a chance that the Phantom Thieves remembered him, then it would be smart to make himself scarce. 

...

Suguru Kamoshida confessed to physical abuse and sexual harassment of his students a week earlier than he had in the previous timeline. It would make sense that the thieves would make their way through the palace faster if they had all done it already, but the fact that no one had confronted Goro when he was easy enough to track through social media posts was strange. Maybe some of them were afraid of him, but not Akira. Never Akira. His rival wouldn’t back down like that. It was simply unthinkable. Goro decided he’d continue to lay low, and if a calling card was found at Madarame’s art exhibit, he would stake out in the palace to watch the thieves fight and get some real answers.

He didn’t have to wait long.

...

Ichiryusai Madarame’s palace was just how Goro remembered it –– sleek and clean, toeing the line between the beautiful and the grotesque. He didn’t have time to explore it –– not that he ever wasted a lot of time in the Metaverse as the thieves did –– but he couldn’t help but notice Kitagawa’s haunting portrait hanging in the hall of abused students. The expression captured one of a resigned type of despair. He recalled hearing Madarame monologuing the last time he’d been in the palace. Apparently, in addition to years of plagiarism and abuse, Madarame was directly responsible for the death of Yusuke’s mother. Goro couldn’t understand how Kitagawa had let him live. 

Knowing he couldn’t waste time, Goro swallowed and climbed up the wall to the rafters of the museum so he could silently seek out the thieves. The sounds of a battle grew louder and louder as Goro approached the courtyard, sticking to the shadows as usual. Goro knew he would need to decide whether or not he was going to appeal to the Phantom Thieves soon before he was thrust even further into the limelight by pitting himself against them publicly. When he finally found a vantage point, the scene was about what he expected.

Madarame, as well as his collection of copies, stood facing the Phantom Thieves, throwing various elemental attacks at the group. Goro let himself take stock of the group. Sakamoto, Kitagawa, Takamaki, that fucking cat…

Akira wasn’t there. 

Goro reflexively brought a hand to his chin as he tried to make sense of it. Surely, the group wasn’t so idiotic that they’d challenge Madarame without their leader. With his quick mind and small army of Personas, Akira carried the team practically on his own. Did that mean that he was just hiding in the shadows, much like Goro was himself, prepared to enact some sort of plan to take down the palace ruler? No, that couldn’t be it. Madarame was not a great foe, and Akira had never, in Goro whole time observing him in the Metaverse, let himself leave the front lines, no matter how worse for wear he looked. 

“Shit!” Sakamoto yelled as one of Madarame’s clones knocked him down with a wind attack. Goro narrowed his eyes as he watched Takamaki scramble to prepare a healing spell. However, before she was able to summon Carmen, she too was knocked off her feet, this time by an ice spell. All the thieves were down on their knees, while Madarame laughed maniacally above them. There was little hope of them turning the tide. Without Akira there, the thieves were certainly outmatched and would pay the price for overestimating their own strength.

_ Is it really this easy?  _ Goro couldn’t help but wonder.  _ If Akira doesn’t have this collection of idiots, he won’t be able to take down Kaneshiro. The Phantom Thieves would never be a phenomenon, and would never be a challenge to me and my plans. I can secure my victory right here. All I have to do… is nothing! _

“This...can’t be the end…” Kitagawa grunted out. “Sensei… please…”

“I’m sorry… Akira…” the cat said. It sounded pathetic. They were all pathetic. Letting them die here was hardly even a choice on his end. They were bugs to be squished, rats to be caught in traps that would break their necks. 

_ You sound like Shido,  _ a chipper voice –– his own voice, the fake tv-ready one, supplied.  _ That’s how he sees you, you know. Why pretend to be better than these idiots when you were the one who died like a pest last time? _

Goro tightened his grip on his serrated sword, feeling himself practically shake with rage. 

_ Damnit. DAMNIT. _

“DAMNIT!” he yelled, jumping down from the rafters and landing in between Madarame and the thoroughly beaten thieves. He summoned Loki and leered at Madarame and his clones. He made quick work of them with a Megidola attack, and just like that, the palace ruler was on his knees, blubbering for mercy. Goro drew his gun and pressed it to the Shadow’s temple. 

“ _ Akechi? _ ” Takamaki shouted from behind. Goro growled in annoyance. He’d confirmed now that the thieves did, in fact, remember the past timeline. He hadn’t met any of the thieves officially, and his helmet obscured his identity quite well. The outburst simply wouldn’t make sense unless Takamaki already knew who he was from before. Goro wasn’t sure if this made things easier or harder for him in the long run, but the more immediate problem was that now that he’d jumped in to save the idiots from dying, they might get ideas that it was okay to talk to him. Saving them had been unbelievably short-sighted on his end. It was only four Phantom Thieves -- he could have allowed them to die and just counted on the remaining ones to take down Shido. Hell, he and Akira would probably be enough on their own. 

“Please! Spare my life!” the Shadow was sobbing. Goro begrudgingly turned his attention back to the old man. 

“Hm. I don’t particularly feel like it,” Goro said blankly. Then again, he supposed murdering someone right in front of the Phantom Thieves would simultaneously kill any prospects of them working together. And, now that the thieves were likely aware he remembered the previous timeline as well, teaming up seemed to be his best option, no matter how much he loathed the idea. Additionally, he needed to find out where Akira was. They wouldn’t tell him what he needed to know if they were too busy trembling in fear (as they ought to). So, for now, he’d have to play nice.

Goro held the gun steady and glanced over his shoulder to see Takamaki struggling to her feet.

“Hurry up and heal,” he hissed at her. “Are you daft?”

“Huh?” Takamaki said. “R-right!”

Goro looked back at the Shadow he had at his mercy. He had to stomp down the voice of Loki encouraging him to  _ finish him.  _ He had to restrain himself for the sake of his victory in the long run. 

“Hand over the fucking treasure,” Goro hissed. “And confess your crimes to the world once you return.”

“I will, I promise!” the old man stammered. “T-take it! Just spare my life…” As Madarame bowed and groveled, Goro searched the battlefield for the painting and spotted it abandoned on the ground, having likely been dropped by a lesser shadow as it ran. Goro holstered his gun and stalked over to the treasure, snatching it up. 

“The hell are you doing here, man?” Sakamoto’s unpleasant voice yelled from behind. “If it’s a fight you want, we’ll give it to you!”

“Uh, Skull,” Morgana said, his voice weak. “I think it’s best if we avoid a fight, here…”

Goro already had a headache just listening to them. He turned around to face the thieves, baring his teeth. 

“You goddamn idiots,” he sneered. “You really thought you could do shit without your precious leader? Have you all lost your fucking minds?” 

“That’s hurtful, coming from you,” Kitagawa remarked. 

And oh, Goro had never regretted anything like he regretted saving their pitiful little lives. Goro was getting a lot of ideas of how his clawed gauntlets could rip into Kitagawa’s precious painting, or, even better, Kitagawa’s face. 

“Hey! Let’s not fight!” Takamaki said, taking it upon herself to mediate. “We need to get out of here! The palace is already collapsing!”

Sure enough, it was. Getting caught in a disappearing palace would be a pathetic way to go out, so Goro wasted no time running toward the front of the museum to reach the entry point as quickly as possible. He noticed passively as he ran that the thieves were following behind him, much like brainwashed lemmings jumping off a ledge. 

They all stumbled back into the real world with not even a modicum of grace. Morgana, back in his normal-looking cat form, retreated and hid behind Takamaki’s legs, his fur fluffed up in agitation. Kitagawa and Takamaki were both eyeing him warily, while Sakamoto was making no effort to hide his anger. 

“Don’t expect me to bail you out like that again,” Goro said shortly. “You all are nothing without Kurusu. Bring him next time if you all are still so keen on playing vigilante.”

“Uh, yeah, we’d love to do that,” Sakamoto said. “But he doesn’t remember shit!”

“He… doesn’t remember?” Goro stroked his chin in thought. “That’s...troubling. You all seem to remember what happened before time reset, am I correct?” 

A few nods of confirmation. Not that he really needed them. 

“Yeah, well…” Takamaki said. “Maybe it’s best if we explain in more detail?”

“G-good idea, Lady Ann!” Morgana chirped from his hiding place.

“Perhaps,” Goro said blankly. “But not here. Where can we talk privately?”

“Mementos?” Morgana offered.

“Hell no!” Sakamoto protested. “I ain’t going anywhere where that guy has his freaky Persona.” 

“Your apartment then, Ryuji?” Morgana hissed back.

“I don’t wanna get murdered in my own home!” 

“Quite an imagination you have there, Sakamoto,” Goro said. He couldn’t help the grin that split across his face. “But if I wanted you all dead, I would have done it where no one would have heard you scream.”

“Well, that’s reassuring,” Morgana grumbled.

“How about your place, Akechi?” Kitagawa suggested.

“Out of the question,” Goro said. “Besides, every inch of my place is bugged.”

“For real?” Sakamoto asked. “Dude. Shido is seriously effed up.”

“We can go to my apartment!” Takamaki said, thankfully cutting into the conversation before Goro snapped Sakamoto’s neck for bringing  _ that  _ topic of conversation up. “My parents are out of the country, so we’ll have the place to ourselves.”

“Hm. That does seem like the best option we have,” Kitagawa mused. “Shall we head to the train?” 

…

It struck Goro as he cautiously accepted tea from Takamaki in her living room that he was incredibly out of his element. Even when he’d been part of the Phantom Thieves before, while they were infiltrating the casino, they’d only ever included him in Metaverse activities. So, being in Takamaki’s  _ home _ , sitting among them all so casually, was off-putting at best. Goro sat stiffly, fighting to keep his face as neutral as possible in order to mask his discomfort. 

“So,” Takamaki said, sitting down next to Goro. Way too close. “I guess we all owe you one. Why’d you save us back there?” 

Goro sipped the tea Takamaki had provided and frowned. 

“You all are more useful to me alive,” he said simply. “And as much as I dislike the notion, I believe it would be beneficial to us all to team up to become stronger.”

“You… want to team up?” Kitagawa asked. The painting from the palace was sitting in his lap. “To be frank, I can’t help but question your intentions, given our history. Is that truly what you want?”

“What I  _ want _ is Shido’s heart on a stick,” Goro hissed. “But I can’t have that. Circumstances have changed.”

“How so?” Morgana asked.

“I died,” Goro said. “That bastard killed me before I could get to him, and he’ll do it again this time around unless I outsmart him. If his cognition of me is truly just a mindless puppet, then he won’t expect me to have allies. Saving you all was a tactical decision. Nothing more.”

“Akechi…” Morgana said. “So, on the ship… you really did…”

“Now,” Goro said, interrupting. “I believe you all owe me an explanation as well. Where is Kurusu?”

“I don’t know, man!” Sakamoto said. “I was walking to school like normal when I run into Morgana, ‘cept I didn’t recognize him at the time. He was meowing at me incessantly, and next thing I know, I’m at Kamoshida’s perverted castle. Mona led me through, even though I was super confused, and once I awakened my Persona in there, I remembered everything! Like, from the last time we lived through this year.”

“Interesting,” Goro mused. “So, the memories of the previous timeline are only accessible to Persona users?”

“It seems that way,” Yusuke said. “Until just recently, I remember nothing of my time with the Phantom Thieves and was entirely unaware that time had looped.”

“Still, it’s strange,” Goro said. “Ak––Kurusu told me once that his Metaverse app simply appeared on his phone one day, rather than showing up after he was pulled in by someone else. Knowing his curiosity and propensity for stumbling into odd situations, it’s hard to believe Kurusu has had no run-ins with the Metaverse this time around.”

“Yeah, and it gets weirder,” Ann said. “After Ryuji pulled me into a palace and I remembered everything, we tried to talk to Akira and get him to follow us in. But he wouldn’t go for it! And right when it seemed we’d convinced him, the school fire alarm went off, and we lost him in the crowd. A few days later, we tried to pull him aside again, but that time, Makoto pulled him away to the student council office for some reason. And stuff like that keeps happening! It’s even harder now, because all those failed attempts have made him actively avoid us at school.”

“It didn’t help that Ryuji kept calling him by his first name and insisting that they knew each other,” Morgana said. “You moron.”

“So, a series of unfortunate, yet random events have kept you from restoring Kurusu’s memories,” Goro summarized. “And now you’ve just given up? 

“Hell no!” Ryuji said. “We just… come on, man! We couldn’t just let Kamoshida keep terrorizing the volleyball team! Not to mention Ann and Shiho! Even if we were able to keep her from jumping this time…”

Takamaki didn’t comment on that, but Goro felt her shudder slightly next to him.

“I… thank you all for coming quickly to my aid,” Kitagawa said. “I also believe that Akira would be disappointed if he learned that we had waited for him before helping the victims of these terrible criminals we’ve changed the hearts of.”

“I don’t think he’d be thrilled if you got yourself killed in the process,” Goro said. 

“Well, hey!” Takamaki cut in. “We’ll be okay now, though! We’ve got Akechi!”

“Huh?” Ryuji said.

“We’re gonna get Akira back, of course,” Takamaki said. “But until then, we can team up with Akechi. He’s super powerful, smart, and he’ll make a great leader if we just give him a chance!”

Goro choked on his tea and ended up not-so-graciously coughing in response to Takamaki’s… Proposal? Joke? Whatever it was that she’d said.

“ _ Excuse me? _ ” Goro said. 

“There’s no way Akechi’s gonna lead the Phantom Thieves!” Sakamoto protested. It was probably the only time the two of them would ever be so greatly in agreement over something.

“Lady Ann, are you serious?” Morgana said. “But  _ I’m  _ the leader right now!”

“I’m not going to be the damn leader,” Goro said blankly. “But I’m also not taking orders from a cat.”

“I’m not a cat!”

“I actually agree with Ann’s idea,” Kitagawa said. “Though he didn’t say it all that delicately, Akechi did say that he could kill us if he desired with ease. I think teaming up with him is a much better alternative, and he is certainly the most practiced when it comes to battle. I believe Akira would agree with this proposal as well, were he here.”

Sakamoto grumbled something under his breath that sounded suspiciously like  _ “well, Akira thinks with the wrong head.”  _ Goro elected to ignore that and not even try to unravel its meaning.

“I said I’d work with you all,” Goro said. “I refuse to be the leader, as I said before. I would rather get shot in the heart again.”

“Oh yeah?” Sakamoto said. “Well in that case, I vote Akechi should be leader.”

“Ryuji!” Morgana protested. 

“You cannot be serious…” Goro said.

“Alright!” Ann cheered. “Can I have your number and Chat ID, Akechi? I’ll share it around, and we’ll make a group chat.” 

Goro heaved a long sigh and finished his tea. This was the path he was walking. Normally, he’d be happy to be awarded control, but knowing that the thieves were doing it out of necessity or spite made the idea of leading them all nauseating at best. But he could handle it. He could handle anything. And it was only until Akira came back… 

“Write down yours instead,” Goro said. “I’m going to need a burner phone.”

“More bugs?” Morgana said in disbelief.

“Of course.”

“Geez,” Ryuji groaned. “This is gonna suck.”

Goro couldn’t help but agree.

**Author's Note:**

> there's more oneshots in this series, and i plan on doing more! please check them out and please COMMENT I NEED VALIDATION
> 
> check out the rest of the series [here](https://archiveofourown.org/series/2147535)!
> 
> come say hi on [tumblr](https://franzy-vonkarma.tumblr.com/)!


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